Please follow the exact instructions. Rogerian Position Essay
1200 words minimum– 7 pages of text maximum
3 sources minimum– 4 maximum
MLA format
Your final major essay presents you with a binary task: arguing your own perspective while simultaneously acknowledging and validating oppositional ones. This is the Rogerian model of argument, which asks us to expand upon our innate argumentative impulses (arguing for our own point, solely) by exploring and even legitimizing disparate viewpoints. Philosophically, it seems reasonable to suggest that most of us observe a world woefully bereft of genuine reflection, in which too many people presume their own to be ideals infallible, inviolable, but I often wonder how right people can be who never question that they might be wrong.
The Rogerian model requires us to go beyond a condescending nod at conflicting ideologies, exploring and investing in multiple perspectives before settling on any one as correct. Therefore, in your essay, you will need to argue a position through the mechanism of that model, presenting your own idea(s) alongside a sincere exploration of an alternative one(s). From the humorous to the dire, the frivolous to the ominous, the subject is utterly your choice, the goal being to sincerely explore alternatives before revisiting, tempered by the test of opposition, your original position.
Suggestions:
* Above all else, follow fundamental rules of syntax (punctuation, conjugation, etc.).
* Write with a close eye on clarity; every sentence must make fundamental sense, must be easily understood.
* Avoid clichs, e.g. Agree to disagree, Everyone has their opinion, but etc.
* Do not objectify the essay, e.g. In this essay or, Im writing this because or, I had to think a long time about what to write
* Cite sources according to MLA format; use RW as a resource.
* Write something you know, something you care about.
Organization:
The essay should be organized as follows:
Part 1) intro., statement of problem/position
Part 2) statement of position and support
Part 3) acknowledging opposition/alternative
Part 4) middle-ground, favoring original position
Part5) conclusion.
This may or may not coincide with the number of paragraphs in the essay; youll want to make sure more time is spent supporting your thesis than is spent acknowledging its opposition. Therefore, you may have two or more paragraphs stating and supporting your position, and one paragraph of opposition.
Primary Goals:
Apply rules of standard English and skills learned in ENG 112
Develop and elaborate upon a coherent, identifiable thesis from introduction through conclusion (using TSIS parts 1-4 for reference).
Incorporate researched sources into text.
Requirements:
Length : 1200 words minimum (7 pages maximum)
Sources: 3 academically viable sources, 4 maximum, cited in a works cited page as well in-text citations
Format: MLA.
